Sergio Perez has closed in on the lead within the System 1 drivers’ championship with victory on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Key factors:
- Sergio Perez takes his second grand prix victory of the season
- Perez additionally gained the dash race on Saturday at Baku
- Oscar Piastri endured a irritating race, ending twelfth
The Mexican beat his Crimson Bull teammate and championship chief Max Verstappen, profiting from an opportune security automobile that promoted him to the lead.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc got here third whereas Australian Oscar Piastri completed twelfth following a irritating race.
However the race was marred by a daunting incident on the finish of the race, during which folks needed to bounce out of the best way of a automobile within the pit lane.
AlphaTauri driver Esteban Ocon got here into the pits whereas Sergio Perez was on the ultimate lap. Ocon had not made his obligatory pit cease and needed to are available earlier than the tip of the race to keep away from being disqualified.
Nevertheless, folks began crowding the pit lane, together with photographers, marshalls and members of the victories Crimson Bull pit crew, in keeping with Sky Sports activities reporter Ted Kravitz.
As Ocon got here into the pits, he needed to rapidly decelerate as folks took evasive motion to keep away from the automobile.
“Oh what is that this about? This can be a shambles, absolute shambles,” Kravitz stated as Ocon got here into the pits.
“It is a fortunate escape I feel,” former driver Karun Chandhok stated in commentary.
“Absolute insanity to permit all these folks into the pit lane when there’s dwell racing on.”
Perez secures win after lucky security automobile
Coming off profitable the dash race on Saturday, Perez got here from third to win the principle race across the streets of Baku.
Verstappen, who began second behind Leclerc, took the lead on lap 3 and was trying comfy till a security automobile on lap 11.
Verstappen pulled into the pits on the finish of lap 10, after complaining to his crew that he was sliding by means of the corners.
At an analogous time, AlphaTauri driver Nick De Vries went off observe which introduced the security automobile out.
The protection automobile harm Verstappen, who may do nothing as Perez and Leclerc have been in a position to pit whereas everybody else was driving slowly.
When the security automobile pulled into the pits on the finish of lap 13, Perez led Leclerc with Verstappen now third.
Verstappen overtook Leclerc on the primary lap after the restart, however Perez was near-flawless for the remainder of the grand prix.
The 33-year-old maintained a gentle hole to his teammate, by no means trying threatened as he took his second win in 4 races this season.
“It actually labored out immediately for us, we managed to maintain the strain on Max as we had higher degradation on that first stint,” Perez stated.
“I feel it was very shut between us, we pushed to the utmost immediately, we each hit the wall a couple of instances however we managed to maintain [Verstappen] beneath management.”
Verstappen’s lead over Perez within the drivers’ championship is six factors.
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